BREAKING: As investigators increasingly focus on the prospect of terrorism, wreckage from EgyptAir flight 804 has been found in the eastern Mediterranean. The Egyptian military says personal belongings of the passengers and the plane’s fuselage has been located in the search area.
Back in the U.S., both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump said yesterday they believe the crash was an act of terrorism, and Trump’s criticism of the administration even prompted the White House to list its accomplishments in the fight against terrorism.
U.S. TROOPS TO LIBYA: The U.S. has deployed a small number of special operations troops there, but the numbers of American forces in Libya could be about to increase substantially. For months the Pentagon has been talking about stepping up its anti-ISIS effort in the north African country, the hangup being the lack of a fully functioning government in Tripoli. Now the nation’s top general, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, told a small group of reporters traveling back to Washington from a NATO military meeting that it may soon be time to pull the trigger on the plan. The Washington Post was on the plane and reports Dunford says negotiations with Libya are in “a period of intense dialog” and that an agreement to deploy U.S. troops could come “any day.”
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THROWBACK THURSDAY?: Republican lawmakers on Thursday urged the president to withdraw his veto threat and sign the House-passed defense authorization bill, which uses $18 billion from the war fund to cover base priorities. Defense Secretary Ash Carter reiterated his objections that the bill contains a “budget gimmick” that is “gambling with warfighting money at a time of war.”
Sound familiar?
But the House bill is far from a done deal. The Senate will begin its consideration of its draft of the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act next week, where the majority leader’s office says amendments will be allowed, though it’s unclear how many or what topics they may cover.
Sen. John McCain said Thursday night at a Brookings Institution event that he intends to introduce an amendment on the Senate floor next week to boost defense spending by $17 billion. One thing he’d like to do with the extra money? End planned cuts to Army troop levels.
McCain also fielded questions on 2016 and said he agreed with Trump’s statements that NATO allies need to pay more, but said Americans also can’t forget NATO’s response after 9/11 when allied troops lost their lives responding to an attack on the U.S.
“All those European countries came to our aid and sent troops to Afghanistan. Over 1,000 of those troops, non-American were killed,” he said. “Maybe we ought to also show some appreciation for what our NATO allies did for us.”
McCain channeled his inner Trump to wrap up a question on what he sees as the biggest threats facing the country: “We’re going to make America great again. It’s going to be huge.”
NO PROTEST, YET: The Pentagon says is still reviewing the evidence to determine whether two chinese J-11 fighter planes intercepted a U.S. EP-3 spy plane in an unprofessional manner in international airspace 100 nautical miles south of mainland China and about 50 nautical miles east of Hainan Island. Spokesman Peter Cook says the crew reported the encounter was “unsafe.”
STILL TALKING: Two years after Russia annexed Crimea, Washington and Moscow are “continuing to talk” about the issue, Pete Kasperowicz reports. “A senior State Department official said Thursday in Belgium that the Obama administration’s plan to deal with Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 is to keep talking with Russia to see if that resolves the situation. Ahead of a NATO meeting, the official rejected the idea that the U.S. has essentially given up the goal of getting Russia out of Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine more than two years ago.”
The administration also deemed three branches of the Islamic State — in Libya, Saudi Arabia and Yemen — as terrorist groups, Nicole Duran reports.
The White House is in talks with Congress to end the arms embargo to Vietnam, Anna Giaritelli reports, and President Obama will continue the discussion with officials in that country when he visits next week. “The move would strengthen relations between the U.S. and Vietnam, after the countries normalized diplomatic relations in 1995. The Vietnamese have repeatedly lobbied for the rollback of U.S. sanctions against its importing of weapons.”
BENGHAZI DRONE WARS: House Benghazi committee Chair Rep. Trey Gowdy is unhappy with the Pentagon’s response to his committee’s request for the names of drone operators on duty at the time of the Benghazi attack in 2012. The Pentagon insisted yesterday it’s doing all it can to fulfill the committee’s demands, but that the task is not as easy as it might seem. “Some of these people are not still in the service at this point, and one may even be deceased,” spokesman Peter Cook said.
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF HACKING: A U.S. weather satellite system was hacked 10 times over the course of a year, Rudy Takala reports. “The hacks of the Joint Polar Satellite System took place between August 2014 and August 2015, according to the report published by the Government Accountability Office. The incidents were classified as ranging from medium to high severity, and included ‘hostile probes, improper usage, unauthorized access, password sharing and other IT-related security concerns.’”
CALLING THE SHOTS: Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the White House is doing a “disservice” by not admitting that the U.S. is in combat overseas, Pete Kasperowicz reports. “I think that it is incredibly unfortunate not to speak openly about what’s going on,” he said on MSNBC. “American troops are in action, they are being killed, they are in combat. And these semantic backflips to avoid using the term ‘combat’ is a disservice to those who are out there putting their lives on the line.”
Gates also criticized the two presidential front-runners, saying that he doesn’t know enough about Clinton’s or Trump’s national security plans, Ryan Lovelace reports. On the Democratic side, “there’s been no discussion.” As for the GOP, it’s “uninformed bluster and threats.”
And amid all the bluster, one of Trump’s national security advisers thinks the billionaire should dial it down, Gabby Morrongiello reports. “Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn has been an informal foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump for months, but says the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has yet to heed one major piece of advice. ‘There must be more precision in the use of the language that he uses as the potential leader of the free world.’”
PARDON FOR WAR CRIMES: An unlikely collaboration between military vets and law students is pushing for President Obama to pardon or reduce the sentence of seven U.S. troops convicted of killing civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, reports the New York Times. Among the cases: Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, serving life for murdering 16 civilians in Afghanistan
ADM. HOWARD MOVES UP: In the military it’s up or out. In the case of the historic career of Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michelle Howard, it seemed like there might be no place to go, but President Obama has nominated the highest-ranking African American woman to command U.S. Naval Forces, Europe, U.S. Naval Forces Africa, Allied Joint Forces Command, Naples, Italy.
BECAUSE IT’S THERE: The Marine Corps Times has the inspiring story of Staff Sgt. Charlie Linville, who lost his right leg below the knee in Afghanistan, but made good on his third attempt to scale Mt. Everest, the world’s highest peak. He was part of a team assembled by The Heroes Project.
COOK TIMER: On Broadway it’s traditional to hold the curtain for 10 minutes to allow stragglers to be seated. At Peter Cook’s Pentagon briefing a 10-minute delay is not as welcome, since reporters are busy, too. Yesterday’s briefing began 11 minutes after its scheduled time. Since the Pentagon gets to pick the time, our modest proposal is to schedule the briefing at a time when the spokesman can be there. Just an idea.
THE RUNDOWN
Defense News: Allies Will Not Play a Role in B-21 Development, Unlike F-35
UPI: Polaris Defense intros MRZR-D off-road vehicle for military
UPI: Lockheed to refresh systems on German P-3C Orion aircraft
Washington Technology: Raytheon, L-3 square off over $350M Army range contract
War on the Rocks: #NATSEC2016: Concerns about the foreign policies of the top candidates
Military Times: Fight over religious discrimination and gay rights entangles Hill defense bills
Defense One: How the Pentagon is Preparing for a Tank War With Russia
Navy Times: The Navy wants to hire chiefs and captains – off the street – to fill cyber roles
NBC News: NYC Man Who Joined and Escaped ISIS Speaks Out
Breaking Defense: PACOM Presses To Film China’s Reckless Pilots From P-3s, P-8s
New York Times: Why Might Vietnam Let U.S. Military Return? China.
Calendar
MONDAY | MAY 23
9:30 a.m. Naval Station Norfolk. The House Armed Services Committee will hold an open hearing aboard the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower with four Navy captains on force structure and readiness. armedservices.house.gov
TUESDAY | MAY 24
8:30 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., speaks about cybersecurity after information sharing. csis.org
10 a.m. Rayburn 2172. House Foreign Affairs will hold a hearing on the implementation and consequences of the Iran Nuclear Deal Oversight. foreignaffairs.house.gov
12:30 p.m. 1030 15th Street NW. The Atlantic Council think tank will host the 10th annual Country of Georgia Defense and Security Conference. atlanticcouncil.org
1:15 p.m. Tampa Convention Center. Gen. Raymond Thomas, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, will speak at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference. sofic.org
2 p.m. Rayburn 2172. House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade will hold a hearing on Terrorism and the Saudi Royal Family. foreignaffairs.house.gov
2 p.m. Rayburn 2154. House Oversight Committee on national security will hold a hearing on the remaining detainees at Guantanamo Bay. oversight.house.gov
2:30 p.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW. Stimson releases its new report on the long-term foreign policy and budgetary implications of the overseas contingency operations fund. stimson.org
WEDNESDAY | MAY 25
6 a.m. Live Stream. The Council on Foreign Relations discuss economics and financial instruments as new means of war. cfr.org
10 a.m. Dirksen 419. The Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Africa, the Pacific, and International Cyber Security will hold a hearing to discuss cybersecurity deterrence and global cyber norms. foreign.senate.gov
THURSDAY | MAY 26
9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Gen. Mark Milley, the Army chief of staff, speaks about the U.S. military strategy. csis.org
10 a.m. Dirksen 342. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will hold a hearing on protecting the U.S. from ISIS. hsgac.senate.gov
5 p.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Retired Adm. James Stavridis will speak about the future of NATO and U.S. alliances. heritage.org
6 p.m. Live Stream. The Council on Foreign Relations host Ray Takeyh and Steven Simon to discuss the U.S. involvement from 1945 to 1991 and shed light on today’s Middle East. cfr.org
